So we in the L&D department are put in the unenviable position of selling the unsellable to our colleagues. To do so, we typically resort to a couple of irreproachable messages:

It’s the law (so we have to do it), and

If we break the law, we could be fined, we could lose our licence to practise, and someone could even go to jail.

Both are valid reasons to do compliance training, but they shouldn’t be our primary drivers.

Confused? Let me explain by urging you to adopt a different perspective:

Take the law out of it.

Imagine for a moment there was no such thing as compliance legislation; no regulatory agencies scrutinising your every move; no auditors to appease; no obligation whatsoever to do any compliance training of any kind. Would you still support it?

If your answer is “no”, I am astounded.

I can only infer that you don’t really care about:

the health and safety of your employees

the fair and equitable treatment of your colleagues

the privacy and security of your customers

Even if you are devoid of ethics, another compelling argument exists in favour of compliance training:

It makes business sense.

For example, what would happen if:

your star performer slips on spilt coffee in the kitchen and breaks his collarbone?

a perfectly qualified and experienced job applicant is rejected on the basis of her skin colour?

absenteeism goes through the roof because the young ladies in the office are avoiding a sleazy manager?

a fraudster in your admin team re-routes payments to his personal bank account?

your contact centre provides a customer’s new phone number to her abusive ex-husband?